Transformers Prime: And a Star to Steer her by
by Fatal Intestinal Maelstrom
Summary: The team goes on leave while construction on the new starship is completed, before preparing to take the fight to the DJD and Unicron. Sequel to "Newer World Order."
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: I have to apologize for taking so long with this. My life completely fell apart over the past year or so and I'm now living in a homeless shelter, so I've had a lot of other stuff I've needed to focus on. The full, pathetic story is detailed on my blog, for anyone who's curious. I've finally managed to focus enough to start working on the story despite the constant loud, distracting noises in the shelter. Apologies in advance in case I take a while to post new chapters. Life is likely to be disrupted even more before things settle down …_

"Wow. Get a load of _that_." General Sanchez stood in front of the huge monitor and pointed at the image of Terwilliger jogging toward a car. Terwilliger had added short pink fur to his armor and big bunny ears to his helmet. Then he noticed the gamer tag hovering above Terwilliger's avatar and snickered: Boris Jackov.

In the corner of Sanchez's eye, several of the people seated at control panels around the observation room glanced at the screen and did a double-take. The human-size Pretender bodies piloted by Optimus, Elia-1, and Strika stood beside Sanchez and watched without reacting to the bizarre sight. Optimus and Strika were too stoic to comment on it and Elita probably just hadn't been on Earth long enough to notice anything unusual.

"Terwilliger seems to have taken a level in goofiness," one of the men behind Sanchez muttered. "Dunno if I could take him seriously on the battlefield."

"Yeah, I suppose." Sanchez shrugged. "On the other hand, if I saw _that_ coming over a hill and pointing an assault rifle at me, I think I'd shit my goddamn pants."

Laughter rippled around the room and Sanchez turned to Strika.

"Commendable job on the simulation, by the way. Interesting that you chose to base it on _GTA Online_, though."

"The combat simulation I saw Mr. Darby and the others participating in two months ago gave me a few ideas. I acquired a copy of the simulation, examined its code, and developed a fully-immersive virtual-reality version. Mr. Terwilliger and a few others requested some additional features, such as the option to more extensively customize their avatars, and I saw no reason not to grant their requests."

Sanchez grinned. "It's not a combat simulation, it's a video game. But this is a worthwhile experiment. We could use it as a springboard for developing an original training simulation without using someone else's intellectual property." He glanced at Strika again. "What's the mission objective?"

"This one is simple: Steal two of the 'Lazer' jet fighters from Fort Zancudo. I wanted to see how the team functions together, mainly. When I was in battle with them, I was able to see only part of the overall picture. This will give me a chance to observe them from a broader perspective before they go on leave."

"Makes sense. It'll give you a better look at their dynamics and how they improvise to deal with unexpected changes." _Assuming they take it seriously._ Sanchez glanced at Terwilliger's pink-bunny armor and held in another laugh. "One thing I learned while playing _GTA_ with my granddaughter is that unexpected changes happen all the time, especially in a public session with a bunch of 'tryhards' harassing other players."

On the screen, the team lined up near their vehicles. Jack and Arcee got into his Coil Brawler, which had to be weird for Arcee because her alternate mode in real life _was_ a vehicle.

Sierra climbed onto her Mark I Oppressor, a motorcycle with a small rocket thruster built into it, while Smokescreen cocked his head at a _very_ 1980s-looking car.

"Not bringing your X80 on this?"

"The X80 is still my favorite car in the game, but I thought the Stromberg might be more useful for this. It's armored and can take five or six direct rocket hits before it explodes. I figured you could drive that while I take the flying bike."

"Oh, nice!" Smokescreen got into the Stromberg and waited for the go signal. "It might end up being _my_ favorite car in the game, then."

Terwilliger climbed into a pink Khanjali tank with purple polka-dots and Sanchez couldn't hold in a snicker. _Yeah, he's not taking it seriously._

Tomoko got into a fancy-assed sports car that Sanchez didn't recognize and glanced at the tank. Sanchez noticed the Catbug plushie hanging on her avatar's back and grinned again. _Aww!_

"I should've thought of getting a Khanjali."

"Well, there are Rhino tanks in the base," Miko said as she mounted her Mark II Oppressor - which looked to Sanchez like nothing more than handlebars and a seat attached to a huge jet engine. "You'd have to steal one, though."

"Cool, I'll be able to do a better job of keeping the heat off you guys in one of those."

"Sounds good." Ashanti turned and walked over to her Akula attack helicopter. "You can handle targets on the ground while I keep other aircraft off everyone's backs."

June and Clayton got into a car that would've looked futuristic way back in the 1950s. It reminded him of the car in _Speed Racer_.

Sanchez smiled. Only six or seven months ago, June had been horrified to find out what her son was involved in, and now she was diving in with him. She and Clay had clicked nicely and worked well together, too. And to think they had met when she needed to pretend to murder him as part of a ruse the team had put on for a captured MECH operative.

"Shall we?" Jack said.

Ashanti nodded. "Let's kick this off."

* * *

_This is _so_ cool!_ Jack tried to remain serious, but it was almost impossible now that they were in a fully immersive version of _GTA Online_. He steered his Brawler to the bottom of a hill outside Fort Zancudo and revved the engine. _Of course, this isn't remotely the same as staring at a screen and using a handheld controller. It'll take some getting used to._

"Now or never, Jack." Arcee grinned as Miko extended her bike's wings and fired the thruster, launching her into the air and over the razorwire-topped fence surrounding the military base.

He gripped the steering wheel, took a slow breath, and punched it. The Brawler roared up the hill, using it as a ramp, and shot into the air. Jack's heart pounded as the car arched over the fence and began to drop. In the corner of his eye, Tomoko's car hopped the fence, landed on its wheels, skidded, and then darted across the nearest landing strip. The Stromberg followed, Smokescreen laughing like a maniac as he overtook Jack and came down on his two passenger-side tires. He yelped, turned the wheel the wrong direction and almost rolled the car, then corrected it and brought all four tires down to the pavement.

The Brawler's rear tires caught on the top of the fence and the car flipped forward, plowed nose-first into the pavement, and slowly tipped back onto its wheels, the impact throwing Jack and Arcee against their seatbelts and then slamming them back into their seats. He shook his head quickly and punched it again.

"Aw, where are the tanks?" Tomoko whipped around the corner of a building. "I don't see any tanks. Oh -"

A shell from a Rhino's main cannon streaked out from behind the building and blasted Tomoko's car into a thousand pieces. She let out a startled shriek, was silent for a few seconds, and burst into laughter as she respawned where the team had first entered the simulation. "Found one!"

Several of the others laughed along with her. Sierra giggled and flew her rocket-bike back and forth, launching rockets at "enemy" troops and vehicles that had just started shooting at them. Jeeps and Humvees exploded like popcorn and personnel cartwheeled through the air.

At the same time, Ashanti opened fire on a pair of tanks approaching Smokescreen's Stromberg. The Rhinos shifted their aim from him to her and she swung to the side to get out of their line of fire. Miko and Sierra buzzed the tanks to keep their attention divided.

Clayton's Scramjet appeared in the corner of Jack's eye as he swerved to avoid more gunfire from the base's troops. The car had sprung straight up into the air, leveling off at several hundred feet, and tilted its front end down toward the ground. Several rockets launched from it, slammed into the tanks, and one of the rockets finally punched through a Rhino's armor and blew it up.

The Scramjet tilted the opposite direction, pointing its nose at an upward angle, and a pair of thrusters in the rear shot it across the sky. Jack's mom burst out laughing.

"_Woooooooooooo-hooooooooo_!"

"Taking fire," Miko muttered as she glided her bike to the ground, her wheels touching just long enough to start recharging her thruster and took off again as bullets sparked off her bike and armor. She lit the thruster and shot straight into the air.

"Whoa." Arcee stared through the windshield at her and grinned. "Looks like she's at least a thousand feet up."

"I see a Lazer with nobody around it. I'm going for it." Miko leaped off her bike and plunged straight down.

"Uh …" Ashanti shredded another half-dozen guards. "Miko, you might want to pull your chute."

Miko rocketed toward the ground and finally deployed her parachute directly above one of the jets, decelerating her abruptly. She cut the chute an instant later and dropped onto the top of the plane.

"Jesus Christ," Sierra blurted. "That was like a low-level HALO jump. If that makes any sense."

Miko scrambled over to the cockpit, opened it, and jumped in.

"Okay, then." Ashanti had an audible grin in her voice. "Miko's going for it. Everyone, cover her."

"Oops, a missile just locked onto me," Sierra said. Jack glanced up and found her soaring high overhead. "I've got an idea."

She jumped off her rocket-bike and it tumbled out of control as she plummeted out of the sky. The surface-to-air missile lost its lock-on and roared between Sierra and her bike. She twisted in the air, angled toward the bike, caught up with it, grasped the handlebars and mounted it. Then she fired the thruster and shot off toward the jet Miko was trying to steal.

"_Daaaaaaaaamn_," Arcee drawled.

"Yeah. I had no idea she could do anything like that."

"That was _awesome_!" Smokescreen laughed as his Stromberg raced toward the guards approaching Miko's jet from all sides. Smokescreen lined up his car and accelerated toward the ones closest to the Lazer. He zoomed past its left wing and mowed down ten or twelve of them.

"Pardon me, gentlemen!"

Sierra burst out laughing. "Nicely done!"

"Thanks, babe!" Smokescreen fired a pair of rockets from the launcher in the Stromberg's front end, sending them into another group of troops farther away.

Miko had gotten the jet started by now. She moved it forward, gaining speed as the remaining enemies turned their assault rifles on her plane. She hit the afterburners and plowed straight into them, knocking most of them aside and catching one on her right wing, his arms hooked over it and holding him onto the Lazer. She lifted off and carried him into the air with her.

"Remember, kid," Ashanti said, "stay low to the ground, under their radar, and they won't be able to lock on."

"Got it." Miko kept the jet just high enough to clear the fence and skimmed the ground outside the base. The clinger slipped off and splattered onto the highway.

"They're scrambling jets to chase you down," Terwilliger said. "I've got 'em."

Jack watched a pair of Lazers take off in pursuit of Miko, then focused his attention on the jet directly ahead.

"I'm going for another one." He hit the brakes and stopped beside the parked Lazer, jumped out, and climbed in while Arcee produced a rotary cannon and kept watch for approaching enemies.

Terwilliger lined up a shot on one of the pursuing jets and the Khanjali's railgun obliterated it. The other jet banked abruptly to avoid the fireball and hail of debris, and Terwilliger rotated the barrel to get his next target in his sights. He fired and the jet's right wing ripped clean off, sending the Lazer into an endless series of uncontrolled barrel rolls until it shot out over the ocean and plunged in.

Terwilliger chuckled. "I wonder if his seat cushion can become a floatation device?"

Jack grinned and lifted off. _Oh, boy. This really isn't the same as having the game's third-person view. Guess I should've switched to first-person more often._ Hoping he'd judged the fence's height - and his Lazer's altitude - correctly, he aimed for the fence and gritted his teeth.

"Looking good, Jack," Arcee said as she ripped enemy troops and vehicles to shreds with her minigun.

He soared over the fence and released the breath he'd just now realized he was holding. "Thanks, honey."

"Looks like we aced it," Clayton said.

"Maybe the next test will actually be a challenge." Miko laughed as she headed north.

Jack shook his head and pulled up enough to fly over the nearby mountain. _Don't jinx us._

* * *

"Hey, guys." Miko waved as the rest of the gang sat at their usual picnic tables outside the mess hall. She arched an eyebrow and added, "Terwilliger, what's the goofy grin all about? I bet that's the same look Jack had on his face when Arcee took his virginity."

Sierra burst into laughter and Jack's face turned red. June grimaced and shook her head.

"Did _not_ need that image in my mind."

Clayton snickered and gave her hand a comforting pat. She shrugged, smiled, and intertwined her flesh fingers between his metal ones.

_Oh, those two appear to be getting serious. Well, good for them._ Miko turned to watch Terwilliger take his seat and raised her eyebrow again. His black hair had been long-ish to begin with, but he'd kept letting it grow until it was shoulder-length and had added a dark red punk streak to it, making him look even more like some sort of anime character than before. He'd taken to painting his fingernails the same color. She almost wondered how he got away with it, being in the Air Force, but General Sanchez had always kept his own hair very long and appeared to be pretty lax with certain regulations as long as the people under his command did their jobs and didn't cause any problems.

"Since we're all going on leave while they put the finishing touches on the new ship, I asked Strika to join me on a trip to my home town. Well, my most recent home town, not my original one in Florida. I'm _never_ going back to that shithole. Anyway." Terwilliger beamed and did a fist-pump. "She actually said yes! I still can't believe it."

Arcee gaped at him. "You asked the former Decepticon general out on a _date_?"

"Yep."

Miko whistled. "Dude, you've got balls the size of a Dyson sphere."

"Why, thank you." He bowed theatrically.

"And she actually _agreed_ to it?" Arcee stared at him and blinked.

"Yeah! That's why I can't believe it." He shrugged. "She's sending her Pretender body along while she stays here and does her usual strategy sessions with Optimus, Elita, General Sanchez, and Agent Fowler. She said it would be an opportunity to observe humans going about their normal business rather than the constant crises we've been dealing with." He smiled and let out a happy sigh. "Strongarm agreed to drive us there. Since her vehicle mode is a police SUV, there's room for both of us and her own mini-me."

Arcee smiled. "It's nice to see Strongarm finally interacting with people and actually doing something. She's been keeping to herself all these months, except when she's joined us on combat ops."

"I'm pretty sure she's got a case of clinical depression," June said. "I've noticed she's been showing all the signs."

"I've never met her before she arrived here," Arcee said, "but from what I've heard from others, she used to be enthusiastic about her job and was always quoting rules and regulations, but she's seemed really down lately and has barely spoken to anyone. Which is understandable. Losing your homeworld and most of your friends hits you pretty hard." She forced a smile back on and rushed ahead, probably to avoid bringing everyone's mood down. "Well, congratulations on your first date with Strika."

"Thanks." Terwilliger grinned and blushed slightly.

_Sweet._ He'd developed a massive crush on the Decepticon general the instant he'd laid eyes on her, so it was nice to see things take a step forward for him, despite the crush Miko had on him. The thoughts she'd entertained about him and Strika doin' it were hotter than hell and had given her plenty of reason to make good use of her prosthetic arm's vibrate function. _If they do eventually get together, maybe they'll let me join in once in a while._

"So." _Speaking of which, heh-heh-heh._ "Do you think she'll let you fuck her?"

"Um." Terwilliger's blush went into overdrive. "Probably not for a while, if ever. She's a half-million years old and I'm nineteen, and sex has never been an option for her - or even crossed her mind - in all that time because she never had the 'parts' for it until she started using that Pretender body. I'd be _amazed_ if it crossed her mind in the next week or so."

"Still, you keep hoping, right?"

"Well, sure, but I'm just planning to spend as much time with her as I can so we can get to know each other better. Maybe some gaming or movies, lunch or dinner now that she has a body capable of eating, introducing her to my friends and family back home, things like that. Just hanging out and showing her as many normal, everyday activities as possible. I'm not sure she even has a concept of 'downtime.' At least, I get the impression that she hasn't taken a day off in several hundred thousand years or even longer. As far as I know, the closest she ever got was when she was sitting in that cave, waiting to surrender herself to Strongarm."

June nodded. "I've only known her for a few month, but yeah, she does give the impression of being 'all work and no play.' You could introduce her to a whole new world."

"Yeah. I don't want to know the things she did during the war on Cybertron because I'm sure they were horrible, but now that she genuinely regrets it and won't forgive herself, I'm hoping I can show her that there's more to life than what she's experienced so far." He shrugged and poked at his chicken alfredo with his fork. "Which could be the reason she agreed to hang out with me. She seems to have found more than enough things to die for, but she might be looking for something to _live_ for."

"I know how _that_ feels," Arcee muttered, and Jack reached across the table to hold her hand.

"Well. I hope you at least get to first base with her." Miko aimed a shit-eating grin at him. "And if she _does_ let you bang her, do me a favor and record a video of the whole thing. It'd be the crown jewel of my porn collection."

Everyone stared at her. Terwilliger's face turned even redder and he fidgeted for a moment.

"Uh … I'll, uh, keep that in mind." With a look on his face that clearly said, "Hell, no!" he dug into his lunch.

"So," Jack said abruptly, probably just to move the conversation on to another topic, "Mom, what're you planning for your time off?"

"Clay and I are driving to Jasper to do some sightseeing. Take a look around the hospital I used to work in, the park I took you to whenever I was able to, our favorite restaurants and other places to hang out." June had an expression that indicated she might've added a hotel room for her and Clay to get it on, but if that was among her plans, she kept it to herself. "Clay just got a new car and this would be a good way to break it in."

Grinning, Clay turned and pointed to the parking lot some distance away. "It's the sixth one from the nearest corner."

Miko turned to look in the indicated direction and found a dark metallic blue Toyota.

"It's a Toyota 86 TRD." Clay laughed. "I decided to buy it just so I could nickname it 'The Turd.'"

June snickered and shook her head. "Centuries old, but still an adolescent at heart."

"As a wise man once said …"

June joined in and said the line in sync with him. "There's no point in being a grown-up if you can't be childish sometimes." Both of them laughed.

_Aww! They're so cute together._ "Well, have fun, kids."

"How about you guys?" June took a sip of her Sunny D.

"A few of us are going to be visiting Jasper," Jack said. "Smokescreen wanted to see where Sierra grew up and she wanted her parents to meet him. Arcee and I might take one last look at the house we used to live in, then just wander around the old stomping grounds and see where the wind takes us. Miko and Raf will be there, too, and so will Tomoko."

"He wants her to meet his family." Miko smiled. "I think the teenage hormones started to kick in before he turned thirteen, but now they're at full throttle and they seem to be getting serious. What's _really_ cool about that is his parents like Tomoko and are happy to see them getting together."

"That's wonderful." June grinned and stuck her fork into her crab salad.

"Yeah. It's great to see things working out without too many hiccups." Miko finished her cheeseburger and let out a slow breath. With life going so smoothly, it was easy to forget how many dangers were still out there and how many obstacles the team still needed to overcome. The DJD, the Unicron-possessed Megatron, Unicron himself …

_I wonder how long it'll last before the next time shit hits the fan._


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note: Sorry for taking so long with this, and for not replying to comments. Still homeless, so I've got a lot I'm dealing with just trying to get back on my feet. That shit tends to get in the way of stuff I'd rather be doing instead. I'll try to work on this faster, but can't make any promises._

* * *

"Well, this is it." Jack stood near the base's main gate with his arm around Arcee's human-size doppelganger and waited for the rest of the others to arrive. "Our vacation's officially started. A whole week off - well, assuming we don't get brought back to deal with any new Decepticon shenanigans."

"They've been quiet for the past few months, though I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. But let's try to enjoy the time off while it lasts. The new ship will probably be ready for its shakedown cruise by the time we get back, and that'll lead to months or even years of kicking ass and being shot at."

"Yeah. Well, we'll be saving the world, maybe even the whole galaxy, so it's for a good cause."

"That's the spirit." She grinned and leaned over to kiss him. "Which is quite a change from the day we met."

He laughed. "Yeah. Amazing how much can change in less than a year. Seven or eight months? Something like that. When I first stumbled into this mess, I wanted nothing to do with it, but now I'm all-in."

He noticed a rhythmic vibration in the ground and turned as it quickly grew into titanic footsteps. He waved at Arcee's full-size body as she crossed the parking lot with Tomoko beside her. Tomoko carried Raf in one hand and her human-size Pretender body in the other, so she smiled instead of waving back.

_Still wearing that holographic costume. Adorable._ He grinned at the Thirteenth Doctor outfit Tomoko had projected around herself - complete with blond hair in the proper style. She'd tried it out on Halloween and hadn't stopped "wearing" it since. Her mini-me had the same outfit with a red fez added on.

Jack turned at the rumble of another engine and found Ashanti's Humvee driving up. Bulkhead's Pretender body and Miko leaned out the windows and waved. He was still recovering from the damage he'd taken in the raid on the _Nemesis_ months ago and couldn't leave the repair bay yet, but at least he could send his mini-me along with his bestie.

"Hey, guys." Ashanti grinned and pointed a thumb over her shoulder at Miko and Bulkhead. "Just giving Cheech and Chong a lift to Jasper."

Both of her passengers snickered.

"Cool. We're waiting for Mom and Clay, then we're heading out together." Jack nodded at Arcee waiting in her motorcycle form behind him and her human-sized body.

Tomoko placed Raf and her Pretender body gently on the ground, then she deactivated the holographic costume and transformed into her helicopter mode. Her smaller body clasped Raf's hand.

"You two look hot to trot." Miko winked at Raf and he blushed.

"I can't wait to meet the rest of Raf's family." Tomoko fired off a huge smile. "I'm so glad they like me, after hearing what Miko's host mother said about us and Arcee and Jack."

"She's another reason I want to go on the mission when the ship's finished." Miko rolled her eyes. "I know she doesn't mean to be an asshole about all this, but the way she acts definitely makes me want to get as far away from her as I can."

"She'll change her mind once you help save the whole galaxy," Bulkhead said.

"Maybe. The important thing is to just get the job done."

Jack nodded and glanced over his shoulder at the sound of another car. Clay drove up to the gate in "The Turd" and Jack's mom waved from the passenger seat.

"Hey, guys." She leaned over to smile out the window at her son and his girlfriend. "Couldn't wait to head out, huh?"

"Jack had everything packed last night." Arcee pointed at his backpack, then something in the distance caught her attention and she waved at the approaching car resembling the X80 Proto from _Grand Theft Auto Online_. It slowed to a stop, the driver-side window rolled down, and Sierra rested her arm on the edge. Smokescreen's Pretender body sat in the passenger seat, hunched over to fit.

"The gang's all here, eh?" Sierra picked up a huge tumbler of coffee from the cup holder and sipped.

"Terwilliger, Strika, and Strongarm used the ground-bridge to trim some time off their trip, but the rest of us are here since Jasper isn't that far away."

"Smokescreen keep you up late?" Miko aimed a shit-eating grin at them and Smokescreen grinned right back and performed the "docking" gesture.

"It was a mutual decision." Sierra yawned, then she noticed his hand gesture and burst into laughter as her face turned red. "Yep, lots of that."

"_Nice_!" Miko hopped out of the Humvee and fist-bumped Sierra.

"That reminds me." Smokescreen turned back to Miko. "Before they left, I tried to plant the idea of having sex with him in Strika's head. I suggested it could be another way to learn about human behavior."

"Seriously?" An enormous grin almost split Miko's face open. Jack had to hold in a snicker as she leaned across Sierra to give Smoke a high-five. "I hope you also suggested that she record the whole thing and send me a copy."

"I did, as a matter of fact. POV vid from Strika and a view of both of them from Strongarm. I implied it was for scientific research for a school project."

Sierra clamped a hand over her mouth, slumped over, and shook with silent laughter. Smokescreen chuckled and shrugged.

"Strika's so stoic, I couldn't tell if she's onboard with the idea or not, but I tried."

"_Thank_ you! I owe you one!" Miko laughed and returned to the Humvee. "If they go ahead with it, I'm totally looping the playback and masturbating to it _all night_!"

_Jesus Christ._ Jack caught a glimpse of Ashanti staring at Miko in utter bewilderment before rolling her eyes and shaking her head. _I couldn't agree more._

"Kids, these days." His mom flicked an uneasy glance at Miko but couldn't hold in a quick laugh, and Clay shrugged.

"Well, teenagers have those hormones they have to deal with, so there's no reason to get in their way when there's no risk of getting pregnant or catching a disease."

"Fair enough." She smirked and nudged Clay's shoulder. "I don't think I'd be able to get frisky if I've got my mind on these kids goin' at it, though."

Clay's optics opened wide in mock terror. "Banish all thoughts of such things from your mind, then!"

June giggled and Miko's expression turned mischievous.

"Can Cybertronians get blue-balls?"

Clay suddenly looked genuinely frightened. "I fuckin' _hope_ not!"

"Your face," Arcee muttered to Jack before collapsing into a fit of laughter.

_Now I know how Mom felt when Arcee and I "unlocked that achievement."_ Jack took a slow breath, laughed, and waved at his mom and her new boyfriend. "You two try not to have _too_ much fun, okay?"

"Well, I'm not gonna make any promises." His mom tossed off a wicked grin and rested her hand on Clay's knee. "You guys enjoy your time off."

"I'm certainly planning to." Miko activated her robotic arm's vibrate function for a few seconds.

"And on that note." Clay reached out to shake Jack's hand. "See you guys around."

"Yep, see you in Jasper." Grinning, Jack climbed onto Arcee and gripped her handlebars. Her mini-me settled behind him and slipped her arms around his waist. Everyone else said their goodbyes and the guard signed them out and opened the gate.

Ashanti tossed off a jaunty salute and eased out of the gate, followed by Smokescreen and then the Turd. Arcee moved forward and then accelerated as soon as he and her smaller body secured their grips. Jack heard Tomoko's rotors start up and lift her and Raf into the sky. He took another deep breath and grinned.

_And we're off._

* * *

"Thank you for taking the time to speak with us, General," Tenesha Hargrove said as she and her camera guys followed Sanchez into the hangar.

"It's no trouble at all. It'll be a while before this can be declassified, but I thought you might like a look at a few of our projects. This way, you can have some stuff ready to go when the public can finally be informed." It was also a bit of a reward for Ms. Hargrove being so cooperative. Sanchez had expected her to dig relentlessly and snoop around and be a huge pain in the ass, but she hadn't tried to "ask the tough questions" and put any of his people on the spot for the sake of ratings. She'd bent over backward to follow the ground rules that had been established ahead of time, so a little positive reinforcement was in order.

"We'd be grateful for whatever you can show us. I'm fascinated by the variety of work you're doing here. Some of it is designing new weapons, but a lot of resources are devoted to things like Jackson Darby's prosthetic legs and Miko Nakadai's new arm. Those projects can be a huge benefit to the public."

"I certainly understand the need to advance weapons technology, especially once I saw what we're up against with the Decepticons, but there's so much more I wanted to be a part of. That's why I delayed my retirement when I heard about the new Groom Lake base being built. When I found out what they'd be doing here, I wanted to hang on long enough to be in charge of it for a few years and end my career on a positive note. I mean, I've got nothing against protecting the world from threats like the Decepticons, but I also wanted to be involved in projects that improve people's lives."

"Well, there's no reason we can't do both."

"Exactly. It's all about building a better tomorrow."

"I'm glad to hear that you're so enthusiastic about the kinds of science projects you've got going here." She flicked a wry grin at him. "And I appreciate your unconventional approach to running things, such as being less uptight about how the people under you wear their uniforms and hair."

"Well, I don't like to be too constrictive to the people serving under my command. The people at Groom Lake, in particular, seem to perform much better when they have a lot of wiggle room. It lets them focus more on their work than on formalities and spit-and-polish. Besides, I wear my own hair really long, so I wouldn't feel right about ordering someone like Harvey Terwilliger to keep his cut short."

"I certainly like that approach. If this base had been around when I finished high school, I may have wanted to join the Air Force if you were in charge." She glanced at his hair. "I couldn't help noticing the hot pink stripe you've added since the last time we talked."

"I found out that some of the officers above Terwilliger were giving him shit about his hair, so I decided to put a little color in mine as a show of solidarity. I never liked pulling rank or ordering people not to voice their opinions unless they're causing genuine problems. In this case, I just made sure they noticed my pink streak. I didn't say anything to them, but I expect they'll dial it down."

"Interesting. I like the look, by the way. Makes think of a gender-fluid Danny Trejo."

Sanchez burst into laughter. "That gave me an idea for next Halloween." He kept laughing for a moment, took a slow breath to compose himself, and motioned at the far wall. "This is one of our coolest projects. One of the Pretenders, Clayton Ferguson, has been working on it."

"Oh, nice." She stared up at the twenty-foot-tall mech surrounded by scaffolding and arched an eyebrow. "You're building a giant robot? Or will someone be inside it?"

"There's a housing for a pilot in the chest. Colonel McKenna's team has done an incredible job, but we've also had a few casualties due to being so small compared to the Decepticons. While there are plenty of situations where the size difference wouldn't affect much, there are times when we might need to level the playing field."

"That's good to hear. This would definitely cut down on the risk of being crushed with a single blow." Hargrove motioned at the giant mech. "I can also see all sorts of other uses. Construction, for instance, or rescue operations in remote locations like mountaintops."

"Exactly. Another use we have in mind is aiding in repairs during combat. When Khalilah was wounded in our last battle against MECH, she had to be carried back through the ground-bridge before she could receive medical attention. And when Bulkhead was almost fatally wounded before that, there was no one who could help him. At the moment, all the Autobots have for a medical staff is Ratchet and Knockout, so if a human or Pretender field tech could pilot one of these, the next one of our Cybertronian allies wounded in combat could be tended to much sooner."

"I like it." Hargrove cocked her head. "I'm also intrigued by its design. Looks like a ninja from a cheesy movie in the early 1980s."

"Yeah, I guess I'm not the only one on the base who has a soft spot for those movies. Clayton said the project manager, Dr. Fujiyama, got the idea while watching episodes of _The Master_." Sanchez laughed again. "A show I'd completely forgotten even existed. Also, Clayton said his team had Miko in mind when they worked out the details because she's already demonstrated a talent for sneaking past people who were trying to keep her out of trouble. And that was before she got her armor with its tactical cloak."

"Hah, yeah, I can see her putting this to good use." Hargrove raised an eyebrow again. "A lot of people would probably object to a fifteen-year-old being sent into combat."

"I would, too, under normal circumstances. Miko, Jack, and Raf are an unusual case, though. They were fighting the enemy, surviving battles, and striking serious blows against the Decepticons before I even knew they were involved. I gotta admit, I was pretty horrified when I was briefed on their situation." Sanchez let out a slow breath. "All three of the kids were already neck-deep in it. Not that walking away would protect them, as we learned when the enemies they made kept coming after them. With training and cutting-edge equipment like the armor we've developed, they have a much greater chance of surviving - not to mention helping us stop the war the Decepticons have brought to Earth."

"They've definitely proved themselves valuable in the fight despite serious injuries. I saw the footage of Miko losing her arm and it was one of the most unsettling things I've ever seen." Hargrove shivered but then managed a quick chuckle. "I'm pretty impressed with how she handled it, though. It seemed to just piss her off and make her attack the enemy with even more ferocity than before. And after she woke up in the hospital, one of the first thoughts that crossed her mind was getting a cool robot arm and getting back into the fight."

"Yep." _And insisting the new arm have a vibrate function added to it._ Sanchez managed to hold in another snicker and motioned at the ninja-bot. "Project Nightbird, here, should be finished by the time the team comes back from leave. If Miko agrees to test it out, it'll be used in a few operations we've got planned before the new ship's test flight." Megatron and what was left of his crew still needed to be dealt with before the new ship launched. And if the DJD tracked them down here, those twisted motherfuckers would have to be taken care of, as well. The mission to find and stop Unicron could last months or even years. That was a _long_ time for the bulk of the Autobots' forces to be out of reach.

"I have a feeling Miko will jump at the chance to drive this thing."

Sanchez nodded. "Yeah, we figured this would be right up her alley. She can't stay out of trouble anyway, so we might as well give her every advantage we can." He motioned at the next project in the corner of the hangar and they walked on. "We're working on similar mechs for Jack and Raf. Raf is planning to stay on the ship and act as Mission Control like he does here on Earth, but as we've learned, what you plan and what actually happens aren't always similar. It'd be good for Raf to learn how to drive one of these in case he needs it to get out of danger or help Ratchet repair a wounded Cybertronian."

"There's definitely nothing wrong with trying to prepare for every situation."

"Exactly."

"Since Miko will be test-driving the first of these, I can't help wondering if she'll want it to be anatomically correct."

"Jesus Horatio Christ." Sanchez burst out laughing again. "_Please_ don't give her any ideas."

* * *

"Almost there." Terwilliger glanced at Strika in the passenger seat and Strongarm in the back.

"We should pull over and put on our disguises, then." Strika motioned at the side of the road.

"There's a spot ahead that'll keep us out of sight," Strongarm said as she slowed. "If the people here will just stop tailgating me for a moment …"

Terwilliger laughed. "That's something I noticed when I first moved here - most of the drivers keep riding your ass no matter how fast you go. I love just about everything else about this place, but the traffic always drove me insane."

"I look like a _police SUV_ and they're _still_ tailgating me!" Strongarm's Pretender body shook her head. "Unbelievable."

Terwilliger glanced into the rearview mirror just as the truck behind them swerved into the left lane and surged ahead. He sighed and shook his head as the guy in the passenger seat flipped them off.

"Sorry the speed limit isn't fast enough for you," Strongarm grumbled. "If I were part of the local police force, I'd teach him a lesson." She eased off the street, turned down a gravel road, and stopped when she'd moved behind enough trees and bushes to hide her from the street.

"Like I said, that's one of the only negative things about this place. It's better than Florida, though that's not saying much."

"I've heard so much about Florida from you." Strika got out and transformed while walking around to the back of Strongarm's vehicle mode. When the change was complete, her human disguise resembled Nurse Nina from one of the _Borderlands_ games but without any clothing.

Terwilliger got out, stretched, and took a moment to enjoy the view since Strika didn't seem to care about being naked in front of him. And, he realized, she had no reason to since she and all the other Autobots and Decepticons walked around naked all the time. None of them had any "bits" that needed to be covered up until a few of them started using Pretender bodies, so it probably never even occurred to them.

Strika's disguise was easy enough on the eyes, but he was used to her normal robotic look, so he preferred that. Still, the disguises were necessary to avoid attracting hordes of gawkers who'd follow them around and keep their phone cameras pointed at them.

Strongarm's human-sized body transformed as well, taking on a similarly _thicc_ look due to having a "brick shithouse" body type like Strika. If he had to describe her disguise succinctly, it would be "female BA Baracus." Her robot form was cute as hell, but this look was pretty nice, too.

_I don't think I'm quite as much of a horndog as Miko is, but sights like this might just change that._

Strongarm opened her rear door and each mini-me unzipped a duffel bag and extracted the clothing inside. Strongarm glanced over her shoulder at him as she began dressing.

"Is there a particular reason your heart rate and respiration have increased?"

_Uh … shit._ His face grew hot and he shrugged and tossed them a lopsided grin.

"Yeah. Both of you are quite attractive. Your disguises _and_ your normal bodies, I mean."

"Ah. Thank you." Strika finished dressing in cargo pants, boots, plain black T-shirt, and hip-length leather jacket while maintaining the same neutral expression as always. Probably because she wasn't familiar enough with humans to fully understand such a compliment, Terwilliger assumed.

Strongarm's outfit was similar but her coat was longer. When she finished putting it on, she raised a brow at him.

"Being attracted to someone causes physiological changes in humans?"

"Temporary ones, yeah. Well, the effect can last longer if the people who are attracted to each other begin a long-lasting relationship."

"Ah. I think I understand." Strongarm looked thoughtful for a moment. "Chromia has mentioned the way she felt about Ironhide when they were together. Though, now that I think about it, it probably wasn't quite the same because they didn't have the same equipment these bodies have, but it may have been similar enough."

"I have never experienced anything like that." Strika shrugged. "There was never any time for it and I'm not sure I understand the need, anyway. But perhaps there will be opportunities to learn something new in the future."

_I sure hope so._ He smiled and nodded as everyone got back in. Strongarm drove them to the motel where a room had been reserved for them. The guy behind the counter had an odd look on his face when he gave them their keycards, as if he suspected something, but he remained professional. When they entered their room, Terwilliger figured it out as soon as he saw that there was only a single bed. The guy had assumed a threesome would be happening tonight.

The bed _was_ king-size, so there was room for all three of them, assuming Cybertronians even needed to sleep. Since they were robots, they might need some sort of downtime to reset or defrag or something, but they could probably do that while standing up or sitting on the floor or whatever.

_Huh. I probably should've asked about things like that a long time ago. Well, it'll probably come up later._

"Now that we are here," Strika said, "what should we do first?"

_I know where I'd _like_ to start, but I shouldn't rush things. There's no way she could possibly be interested in me, anyway._ He placed his duffel bag on the bed and motioned at the door.

"Well, I guess we could start with lunch. It'd give you a chance to try out some of the local cuisine now that you have bodies capable of eating and drinking."

"Sounds interesting," Strongarm said. She caught a glimpse of herself in the bathroom mirror, walked over to it, placed a fingertip against her cheek and pushed in on it. An unnerved look crossed her face and she muttered, "My surfaces are so _squishy_."

"Mine, as well." Strika shrugged and opened the door.

Terwilliger chuckled. "And afterward, if you'd like, I can show you around town and introduce you to some of the friends i knew before I moved to the Groom Lake base."

Strika nodded. "Excellent. After letting so many millennia slip through my fingers, I am looking forward to actually learning something."

Terwilliger raised an eyebrow as they got back into Strongarm. "I would've thought you'd learned a few things in the past half-million years or so."

"I wish I had. If I'd learned anything in all this time, I would never have continued fighting on the wrong side of the war for so long." Strika shook her head slowly. "After all these years, I have finally begun to understand only one thing - and it is that I know _nothing_."

"Well." He wanted to reach out and hold her hand, but had no idea if she was ready for that - if she'd even understand the gesture. "We'll do what we can to change that, then."

"That is my hope." She gazed straight ahead for a few minutes as he directed Strongarm to one of his favorite restaurants. Finally, she glanced at him and said, "Then, when we are done for today, perhaps we can return to the motel room and have sex."

_What?_ His heart pounded and he sucked in a deep breath and damn near swallowed his tongue. Strongarm gave him another curious look.

"Your pulse and respiration have changed even more drastically."

"That's just, uh, surprise. I mean, I wasn't expecting Strika to say that at all." He wondered if she were joking. She'd never seemed to have a sense of humor before. Her expression hadn't changed at all, but …

"Humans appear to place a great deal of importance on it but I'm unable to understand why. Perhaps it will be a chance to learn, assuming you are willing."

"So … scientific curiosity, then?"

"That is one reason. You also seem to desire it, according to Ms. Nakadai and a few others. Though that is also beyond my understanding."

_Holy shit. I made it that obvious? Before I outright stated it over breakfast, that is?_ "Well, uh … they're not wrong."

"Good. Perhaps if I experience this, I may begin to understand why so many humans are obsessed with it."

"I'll, uh … I'll try my best." He tugged on his collar and flicked a nervous glance at her. "Uh … did Miko suggest recording it for her?"

"It did come up during a few conversations, yes."

_Oh, hell. That could open up a huge can of worms. But would it be a deal-breaker if I say no?_

"You have objections?"

"Well, I, uh, I definitely want to have sex with you, but I'm not sure how I feel about making a recording of it. I mean … there are privacy issues and … and, well …"

"It will be recorded in my memory, as everything else I experience is. Those memories could then be used for later study by those with an interest in such matters."

"My memory as well," Strongarm said, "if you're okay with letting me watch."

"I don't understand why there would be any objection, but that may simply be another gap in my knowledge."

_Watch?_

"It's a matter of curiosity." Strongarm smiled slightly.

_Huh. Well, it's nice to see her lightening up after being so dour the whole time I've known her._ He cleared his throat.

"Well, uh … we can have lunch and do some sightseeing first, then we'll … um … see how things go, I guess."

"Very well." Strika nodded and faced forward again, and Terwilliger wasn't sure if the ever-so-slight smirk he caught in the corner of his eye was real or something he'd imagined. He forced himself not to shake his head and roll his eyes.

_Okay, then. The vacation's off to a hell of a start._


End file.
